16 and Pregnant

No, im not talking about that lame MTV show, either. (You heard me: lame!) I'm talking about my best friend Chelsea. I know, right? Its crazy. She's had so many scares in the past 8 months her and James have dated, but even after all those false alarms they still managed to sucessfully get pregnant. (Apparently, his seed was pretty determined! lol) Im pretty sure this time its serious because she's almost 3 weeks late and she's had a lot of morning sickness and loss of appetite. She wants to keep it.

Where do i begin? At first, i was REALLY worried about the whole thing because when she told me she didnt seem to care; It was almost like all those false alarms made her impervious to shock, and that was a BAD sign. Having a baby is no small thing, so if youre pregnant you BETTER be alarmed! But aftre talking to her for a while, she was sure to express her worry, which made me glad that she was finally realizing the gravity of the situation. Chelsea loves kids, and i know she'll be a great mother, but things obviously would have been better if she had waited. Still, her courage, dedication and responsability are some of the many reasons why i love her, and its easy to respect  her choice.

My main questions though are about her housing. She told her mom yesterday, and she supports her ("emotionally, but not financially", which is understandable), but Chelsea doesnt want to live in such a crowded house, especially with her mother's drinking, the animals inside, and all the creepy neighbors right down the street. But what then? She could move in with her boyfriend, but his dad smokes like a chimney. But what other options are there? Neither one has enough money for a house of their own, not to mention one with enough space and safety to support a child. Their last chance would be to move in with a close friend or relative, but again there are problems with smoking, room, money, and safety.

I may be the only shot theyve got. My mom has said in the past that Chelsea always has a home with us while she's in college, and this would only be an extra year (technically). The only problem would be making room. Our house is fairly big, but we have a current residence of 7: Mom, Dad, Mikey, Me, Grandma, Grandpa, and our close family friend, Rick. You see, our modest family of four increased when Grandma's house was so run-down it had to be foreclosed. We fixed it up, sold it for near nothing, and let them live with us. And during Rick's tough divorce, Mom and Dad had the hospitality to clear out the entire craft room and turn it into a spare bedroom until he could find a place of his own. So you can see how we kind of have our hands full enough already. Still, there may be hope if we could somehow fit Chelsea and her baby into my room. I guess timing is everything, and all we can do is hope.

On the bright side, without discussing the obvious financial and emotional troubles this child is going to create, just imagine the baby shower possibilities! haha  Chelsea's staying the night, and we were thinking we could most likely do it at my house, because the church would probably not allow it and the Oakleaf Ballroom is cool but kindof expensive, and would there really be THAT many people? That place is huge! lol  Seriously, though, i am SO in charge of planning it, whether she knows it or not  :)  haha  We're gonna play games, eat a lot of really good food, and then play more games! lol  The presents will be amazing, i know, because Chelsea has a lot of very generous friends and family, because she's simply the best there is and everyone will want to help. That part, at least, im looking forward to  :)

Stay Hopeful! ;)
Christy